Electrical connectors may be mountable to circuit boards by means of separate fasteners extending through apertured mounting flanges of the connector aligned with mounting holes of the circuit board, or the connector may provide mounting projections that are either integral with the housing or are separate board-lock members affixed to the housing prior to board mounting.
Conventionally, such fastening systems include a projection that extends through mounting holes of the board. In certain electrical connectors, the electrical contacts include solder tails having ends that are horizontal and thus adapted to be soldered to circuit pads on the surface of the circuit board in a surface mount technique, instead of comprising vertical legs that are inserted through corresponding through-holes of the board, but mounting holes of the board are still utilized for mechanically fastening the connector to the board.
It is desired to provide a connector that is mountable to a circuit board without requiring holes through the board.